Are you an
Empath?
Ana Forrest reveals why some of us need more “alone time” than others.
W
e all come into life with different gifts. Empathy is a gift. If it’s ignored, it will be a burden and a curse. An empath feels things—like other people’s pain and emotions. It’s actually a great tool, unless you’re an unskilled empath; then the amount of feelings are totally overwhelming.
Empathic skills: When empathing, I open my shields and feel into someone’s body. I feel where there is sadness or congestion. That’s where I place my hands. I coach the person to focus from inside. We meet and work together on the issue. As a teacher, I’m more effective using my empathing skills. Students become wiser kinesthetically, learning how to interpret and make use of the feeling signals from inside. The beauty of developing your empathing skill is feeling the people you care about. Your communications, your loving touch become much more profound. You feel the effects of your actions! Learning these skills builds your compassion for another. Amazing intimacy is also one of the gifts you earn.
Some signs of an Empath: • You need time to be alone. • You need big chunks of silence. • You need time to feel you, instead of feeling everybody else. • Everybody else’s needs are more important than yours. • You’re an addict. • You sense what people are going to say and do before they do it.
Feel you: A great place to get firmly rooted in knowing yourself intimately is in Forrest Yoga. It’s all about feeling inside yourself. The practice has an organic process of learning to feel and savor the subtle depths and textures of your inner wilderness. As you get seasoned as an empath you learn to live with this higher quality of sensory input. Feel that huge amount of gorgeous energy! Create clear boundaries: Empaths, one of your downsides is being a Sacrificial Whore; you give till you collapse. Our culture and religions have taught us that this is virtuous. It isn’t! You’re training everyone around you to become parasites. That’s disgusting. Whether it’s your children, husband, wife, colleague—you’re teaching them to feed off your vital energy, throwing you further into depletion. Thus, you’re creating an incredibly sickening situation in yourself and in everyone who interacts with you. Instead, create whole circles in your relationships, not dead ends and sickness. Saying “No!” will help. Learn how to nourish yourself: Give from the excess of being fulfilled, instead of energy deficit. When you give from deficit, it’s tainted. You’re being irresponsible—not caring enough for yourself, not cherishing yourself enough to feed your Spirit, your cell tissue, your inquiring mind, and your emotions. It’s such sweetness to give, but if you don’t learn how to take, you are out of balance. Stop being a Sacrificial Whore and retrain your generous Spirit. Learn how to work in balance. Focus your generous heart on your needs. Bring healing to yourself as part of your daily practice. Then, what you give will be delicious and much more profound.
Advice for Empaths:
Be brave enough to feel: Another sign of an empath is addiction. Underneath the numbness and lousy coping mechanisms of addiction, know that there is a gift of unimaginable richness. Build courage to go through your numbness, develop your empath skills, and earn your gift. forrestyoga.com
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To work with Ana, visit forrestyoga.com. Check out her highly acclaimed book, Fierce Medicine, and her online classes at codyapp.com.
PHOTO: Sofia van der Dys